John Paul's Father

from Ken Canfield of the National Center for Fathering

John Paul II’s life has come into broad public view following his death this past week. Affectionately known as the “people’s Pope,” his life was characterized by an ability to communicate in many languages (at least 10), a commitment to see people all over the world (he logged more miles than any Pope in history), and an unusually strong relationship with his father. Born Karol Wojtyla in 1920, he referred to his father as the most important human influence on his life. John Paul’s father, a captain in the Polish army, was “a gentleman whose integrity, diligence and honesty were hallmarks of his career.” Biographers have noted that, above all, John Paul’s father was “a just man who believed he had a responsibility to transmit that commitment of living justly to his son.”

To Think About ...

In John Paul’s autobiography, the Holy Father remembers his own father as “a man of constant prayer.” He would often find his father at night and in the early morning praying on his knees. They read the Bible together regularly and as the future Pope would remark, it was through his father’s example that he gained the insight that “the life of faith has first to do with an interior conversion.” In his autobiography, he expounds further about his early religious formation, saying, “We never spoke about a vocation to the priesthood, but my father’s example was, in a way, my first seminary, a kind of domestic seminary.” (These quotes come from Witness to Hope by George Weigel.)

Dads, our children look to us as models for their spiritual development. How are you doing at living out the spiritual heritage you would like to pass on to your children?